Does the U.S. still use centrifuges for isotope separation? The patent was declassified in 1954, I thought, because it was believed that “no one would ever do it that way again”?
I find it fascinating that the U.S. was able to fight a World War, and built an atomic bomb at the same time, in under four years, and Iran hasn’t been able to do it yet.
Mostly we hire the job out these days. I’ve read about a laser excitation process to separate isotopes but I don’t know much about it and I don’t think it’s in production yet.